Disguise the Limit - DFA 10
by Dyna Dee
Summary: In order to flee from OZ's attempts at capturing them, Wufei and Duo are forced to
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't down any part of GW, nor make any profit from my storytelling.

Disguise the Limit

By Dyna Dee

warnings: mild language, drama, humor

Clutching his side, the pilot of Deathscythe continued running through the dark streets trying desperately to keep his companion in sight. His gait was not as steady or strong as it had been several miles back, and even then he had been slower than usual. But it wasn't his fault, he thought - his companion's legs must be longer. He lumbered along, pushing himself past his normal endurance just to keep up with the shadow in front of him. He could feel warm, sticky blood running down his left leg. 'Can anything else go wrong on this mission?' he snarled to himself as he thought of the last twenty-four hours.

Wing, Shenlong, and Deathscythe had been sent to destroy the manufacturing site where computer components for the mobile dolls were being made. It was heavily guarded by Leos and a newly developed ground beam cannon. They hadn't been prepared for the latter. All three gundams sustained heavy damages. Deathscythe concentrated on the Leos, Shenlong on the beam cannon, and Wing picked the base apart, piece by piece, before taking the back-up position for the other two gundams.

Shenlong was heavily damaged by the time the beam cannon was finally crippled, and Wing covered Wufei's flank as he retreated back towards Deathscythe, whose green scythe swung wildly, destroying and maiming anything that approached him. The area immediately around Deathscythe brilliantly flared as the gundam was hit by three separate blasts from the surrounding Leos at the same time from different directions. Duo yelled loudly in alarm as he was flung forward, his gundam falling face down, flattened to the ground and warning claxons sounding within the cockpit.

"Duo!" Heero yelled through the com.

"Get up, get up!" Wufei ordered him, fear lacing his normally placid voice.

"I'm okay." Duo grunted and struggled to rise. The Leo's, seeing his weakness, tried to exploit it by centering their attack on the fallen gundam. Twice more he was knocked down by their constant blows.

Wufei made it to his side and deflected enough of the blows for Deathscythe to gain its feet.

"We're done here, retreat!" Heero ordered from above as he used his beam cannon to hold off the remaining Leo's 

"Status." Wufei ordered Duo as they broke away.

"It's bad." he replied almost breathlessly. "Deathscythe's not going to make it far, over half of the systems are down. Can you find a safe place near by to hide him?"

"Just a moment." Wufei checked the schematics of the area on his computer. "There's a lake four miles north of here. Can you make it that far?" 

"Just lead the way." Duo answered, his voice sounded of forced cheerfulness. Even to his own ears it sounded contrived.

After Wufei informed Heero of their retreat and they seemed to be momentarily free of pursuit, Wing turned to fly back to the safehouse, and Duo followed Wufei several miles into the forest of tall trees, both completely missing the dramatic sunset behind them.

The Chinese pilot was waiting at the edge of the lake as the other pilot came to the surface and slowly swam to the shore. Duo's wet clothes weighed him down heavily and he struggled to get out of the water, crawling on his hands and knees in exhaustion. Wufei reached down to give him a hand up.

"Come, Nataku will carry us both a bit closer to the safe house." he told the American as the dripping boy in the priest's outfit stood bedraggled before him. 

Duo quietly followed the Chinese boy a short way to his gundam and was immediately sent up the ascending foot line. Wufei chose to climb up, and entered the cockpit only a moment or two after Duo. The cockpit quarters were tight and carrying two was going to be a challenge. Wufei sat in the pilot's chair, and it was quickly decided that Duo should sit on the floor and hold onto his legs for support.

Though the gundam was heavily damaged, it wasn't as bad as Deathscythe, but close enough for both boys to realize they weren't going to go far. Shenlong took slowly to the sky and seemed sluggish as it began to move northward. Duo looked up worriedly as Shenlong suddenly dipped sharply and jerked to the right. That's when the violent vibrations began. "Wu..u...u...fei..i.ii." Duo voice rattled in alarm along with the entire machine they were flying in.

"Were....set..ting....d.dd.o.own." Wufei's eyes were intensely focused on the task before him.

The gundam landed hard, and Duo's grasp on Wufei's leg was not enough to hold him. He was suddenly flung forward against the closed door and then slid to the floor as the gundam righted itself.

"Hold on, I'm laying it down." Wufei's voice called out in warning, his mind fully concentrating on the task at hand, not realizing his companions present state.

Unable to hold on to anything, Duo was thrown towards the back wall, violently hitting his hip and thigh on the pilots chair and bouncing off of it enough to clear the chair and hit the back wall, gratefully coming to a stop. He flung his arms out for a moment to make sure his position was secured. After being assured that they had stopped moving, he relaxed with a relieved sigh and flung one hand over his eyes. "Oh man, that hurt." he moaned.

"Stay there while I shut down." Wufei ordered him as he busied himself with the process. Duo was only too happy to comply and dozed off while he waited.

"Duo?" He felt his shoulder being shaken. "You okay? Wake up."

Reluctantly opening his eyes, he looked up into Wufei's black orbs looking worried and very close to his face.

"M..fine." he answered in a groggy voice, even though his whole body ached.

"Come on then." The Chinese pilot clasped his arm and pulled him up. "There's a city about thirty miles from here, we can get lost in it and contact the others."

It was dark out when they climbed out of the gundam. In the tree-filtered light of the moon, Duo noticed most of the gundam's body had been camouflaged with trees and brush. Wufei must have done that while he slept. He waited, watched, and yawned as the other pilot closed and secured the hatch. Wufei turned and grabbed hold of his sleeve and wordlessly pulled him along behind him, into the deep, enveloping shade of the forest.

As careful as they tried to be in concealing themselves, they were spotted the next day as they made their way through the woods, paralleling the highway that led in and out of the city. There appeared to be a road block, and soldiers were systematically searching vehicles as they left the city. The four soldiers that came after them on foot were easily dispatched. However, those that came after them a short while later on motorcycles were a little bit more of a challenge. One soldier managed to get away; as Wufei stopped to help Duo who was trying to pry a man off his back and neck. Picking up one of the fallen soldier's motorcycle, Wufei hoisted Duo up behind him on the seat and they hauled ass to leave the vicinity.

Reaching the far side of the city, they waited until nightfall to sneak into the outlying suburb. They wandered through the dimly lit residential area with barking dogs marking their passage as they made their way towards the hub of the city.

"I'm tired, Wufei." Duo complained wearily. He knew he couldn't go much further, and he hated to complain to someone who rarely exercised the right to do so himself. His stomach growled loudly, attesting to its empty state, but he refused to say anything about his hunger either, as Wufei had to be just as hungry and had not mentioned it.

The Chinese teen suddenly came to an abrupt halt, for which Duo was grateful. The approaching sound of a loud, rumbling engine was heard as a large vehicle slowly came around the corner at the end of the block, a search light on top of it was beaming brightly as it scanned the darkness of the neighborhood. Wufei grabbed Duo and dragged him towards a house and up to a car parked in a slightly slanted driveway.

"Get under." Wufei ordered. Both boys dropped and rolled to the center of the underbelly of the car and huddled close together.

They heard the deep rumble of the truck engine as it advanced on their position. It slowly passed by, the light flashing over the house and cars as it drove on and the rumbling engine faded into the distance.

Duo sighed with relief. He was sure he was not up to a fight and/or flight moment. 

"Let's go" Wufei said with a tug on his arm.

Duo groaned in response, but rolled out after his companion.

No sooner did he gain his feet, but Wufei began to jog again. He continued to lead the way through the suburbs into a more urban area by weaving through the darkened streets and alleyways.

Breathing heavily, Duo gripped his cramping side and pulled his jeans away from his wounded hip. The sound of his slowing footfalls alerted Wufei, who came to a halt and waited for him to walk up to meet him.

Breathing in gasps for air, Duo looked up exhausted into Wufei's face. "Can't ...go....any....further. Too...tired."

Wufei put a comforting hand on Duo's shoulder. He knew he had pushed the other boy, but it was necessary to keep him safe.

A dense and moist fog had settled on the city, making the street and business lights bleary and dim. It also made their dark clothing quite damp. The upside, as Duo would say, was that it also hid their presence on the streets.

Wufei had determined that they were in an area that housed middle-class families with convenience stores and small commercial shopping centers. It was near midnight and the majority of the houses were dark. Taking the exhausted boy's arm, he led him to the front of one of the dark houses. It had a small porch with a wood bench in front of the large curtained window. Whispering for Duo to walk quietly onto the wood surface, he motioned for him to sit on the bench and wait.

Duo nodded and sat down, but then grabbed hold of Wufei hand and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. "Don't leave me."

"I'm going to look for shelter so we can rest. I will be back. Soon." he added, trying to reassure the braided boy. 

Duo nodded and let go of his hand. His eyes followed the retreating figure as he silently moved down the sidewalk like a natural shadow of the night.

Wufei returned forty-five minutes later to find Duo curled up on his right side, sleeping soundly. The Shenlong pilot shook his head in disapproval. If one of the trucks with the spotlight had come by, Duo would easily have been spotted and captured. He knew he should scold him, but his companion had been strangely quiet, and his lack of complaining and whining indicated that he must be in pain. He had checked him earlier that morning in the woods, but not finding any broken bones, he had pushed them forward. Now, his brow creased with worry as he looked down on his friend. Curled up into a near fetal position, he looked small, his wiry frame looked frail. A feeling of protectiveness washed over the Shenlong pilot. It was his duty, he decided, to protect Duo and return him to the safe house. The memory of his imploring eyes as he whispered, "Don't leave me." reaffirmed his decision. Reaching out, he gently shook the upturned shoulder.

Amethyst eyes flew open. "Gomen." he whispered as he eased himself into a sitting position. Wufei turned and motioned for Duo to follow and the two disappeared into the thickening fog once again.

Ten minutes later, the American found himself on the floor of a small playhouse, obviously designed for a little girl. It had an assortment of chairs, a table, and several beds filled with a variety of dolls. It was a small place, but clean.

Wufei had led him silently into a back yard and into the small structure. Duo stood and watched as his friend took up the little blankets from the doll beds and spread them on the floor, then motioned for his companion to lay down. Closing the door to the playhouse silently behind them, they were completely enclosed in total darkness. Duo felt Wufei lay down close to him, but not close enough for him to feel the warmth of his body.

"We have to leave at sunrise." Wufei whispered.

"K" was the short reply as Duo settled himself for an uncomfortable night.

The Shenlong pilot awoke with a start as Duo fitted his body up against his own. "Duo." he growled.

"Cold." the other answered, his voice sounding pathetic, his teeth chattering.

Wufei realized that Duo's body was trembling as he huddled against his back. He grunted remembering that the Deathscythe pilot never could stand the cold, nor extreme heat for that matter. He turned himself over. "Turn around." he ordered his companion, who was now face to face with him. He watched as Duo complied, slowly and carefully, as if his body hurt with each movement. Wufei reached out and pulled his companion's back up against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. "Better?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Duo whispered, but his body continued to tremble.

Neither boy slept well as the night wore on. It seemed to both that it dragged on forever, as sleep came in brief intervals, and that was the reason they later, in a report, blamed for their oversleeping.

TBC 


	2. part 2

Disguise the Limit

By: Dyna Dee

Part 2

Neither boy slept well as the night wore on. It seemed to both that it dragged on forever, as sleep came in brief intervals, and that was the reason they later, in a report, blamed for their oversleeping. 

"Michele!" a woman's voice called out, waking both pilots in the same moment with a violent start. It came from within a close proximity to their location.

"I just need to get my doll." a child's small voice called back, sounding even closer.

Wufei responded immediately by crawling quickly but silently to the door of the playhouse, took hold of the nob and held it firmly. He felt a slight pull on it from the other side.

"Mom!" the child cried out in a whine of loud dismay. "It's stuck again."

"It's the dampness in the air, honey. It'll probably open when you get home this afternoon."

"But I want my doll!" the little voice cried in frustration.

"Michele!" the voice of the mother took on a tone of exasperation. "You are going to make me late for work. Dad has left already, and Buddy and Deb do not want to be late for school. So come on, NOW!"

A sigh of frustration and anger sounded just beyond the door accompanied by a thump, as a little foot kicked the wooden door. "Stupid door." the girl growled and muttered to herself on her way back to the house.

Wufei let go of the nob and exchanged a relieved glance with his friend. "That was close." he whispered.

Duo nodded and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Wufei noticed his face wince in pain.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked.

Duo's eyes looked up at him from under his long bangs. "Pick a spot." he answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm

There was an open vent covered with a wire screen at the top of the playhouse wall. Wufei stood in a crouched position to peer out through it. "I'll give them ten minutes." he said quietly. A loud growl came from Duo's stomach. "I know." Wufei answered it. "We'll get some food soon."

"Your plan?" the braided boy asked as he sat up cross legged, his arms wrapped tightly around his middle.

"First, if the house is completely vacated, we gain entrance to it, get food, and then contact the others. A decision on what to do will come after that."

Duo nodded and sat quietly, which worried the other. Ten minutes passed in silence. Turning to him, Wufei whispered. "Stay here." Without a sound, the Shenlong pilot left their shelter, closing the child-size door behind him.

Duo eased himself down onto the pink and white doll blankets, and went back to sleep.

Less than five minutes later, the Shenlong pilot was back, and surprised to see Duo asleep once more. Wufei roused him and led his sleepy companion out of the play house. The fog was just beginning to lift, yet the morning was still thickly grey and the air was cold and damp. Wufei walked to the back door of the large house and opened it, ushering Duo inside. "They left the bathroom window open" he explained in a low voice as Duo sat down at the kitchen table. Several boxes of cereal sat on the table top as well as a bowl of fruit. Duo reached for a banana and peeled it. Wufei opened the dishwasher and pulled out two clean bowls and spoons. Before long they had both managed to eat several bowls of cereal and several pieces of fruit.

"I found a computer in the den, I'll see if I can contact Heero. You clean up here."

"Sure." Duo stood and grabbed the bowls.

It only took a few moments for Wufei to start up the computer and go through the system finding all its security measures. He logged onto the Internet and into his e-mail site and sent a message to Heero and waited. Within moments a message was sent back, and he realized, not surprisingly, that Heero had been standing by, waiting for word from them on their location and status.

Wufei began to type, relating all that had happened and their general location.

Heero informed him that the city was on lock down. Oz had assessed the gundam's damage from a video tape of the battle, and assumed they wouldn't travel far and had locked down the nearest city to search for the pilots. Reports of two suspected terrorists heading in the direction of the city were given by the local media, along with the general description of the two suspects as an Asian boy, his height and weight and general appearance, and a Caucasian teenager dressed in black with a long, brown braid, with his estimated height, age, and weight. Heero advised them to disguise themselves and sit out the lock down, avoid capture, and contact him when it was safe for pick up.

Heero next asked regarding their health status.

Wufei frowned as he typed his reply, "No broken bones, but 02 is quiet."

"Quiet?"

"As in not talking much, not smiling much either."

"Check for damage, and feed regularly."

Wufei paused for a moment then typed again. "Have an idea for disguise, but anticipate resistance from 02."

Heero replied almost instantly. "Instruct him that you are the lead in this situation. He will do as you say or answer to me. Just don't push him too far. And be careful."

Wufei signed off and then erased any evidence of his tampering from the computer's memory. He left the room, and hearing water running, followed the sound to what appeared to be a master bedroom. The bathroom adjacent to it was where the sound of running water was coming from. He opened the door to reveal a steam-filled room and discarded black clothing that lay in a pile on the floor. He looked up to see the vague outline behind the frosted shower door of a pale body with long, brown wet hair plastered against it.

"I'm going to wash your clothes, Duo." he called out.

"Thanks." the other called out sounding a bit brighter.

Picking up the clothes, Wufei turned to leave, hitting the switch for the ventilating fan as he exited the room.

Half an hour later, Duo emerged, a bright yellow towel secured tightly at his waist, his hair wrapped loosely in a matching towel, and a hair brush in hand.

"I found the family's calendar." Wufei informed him as he lounged on the king size bed, dressed in a borrowed robe as his own clothes had joined Duo's in washing machine. "The kids get out of school at 3:00 p.m., so we should be out of here by then."

"Did you contact the others?" Duo asked as he began the enormous task of untangling the wet mass partially slung over his shoulder.

Wufei proceeded to tell the half naked boy all that Heero had related to him as to the city's lock down, their reported descriptions, and his orders. He then took a deep breath, readying himself for the hard part. "Heero put me in charge." he announced as casually as possible, his eyes watching his companion closely. "And he wanted me to relay the message that you are to follow any order I should issue to you to insure our escape,...."

That stopped the movement of the hairbrush and Duo looked up suspiciously. "Wufei?" he said, his voice low in warning.

"....or you will answer to him when we return." Wufei could tell from the dark glare that Duo was anything but happy about the situation. None of the pilots ever wanted to be in a position to "answer" to Heero for a mistake or an unheeded order. "I was also ordered to check you for any wounds, and to feed you regularly."

To his surprise, Duo gave a small smile. "Heero knows me well." he chuckled.

Wufei stood as Duo went back to brushing his hair. "As long as you are in a state of undress, let me check you for injuries."

"With or without the towel?" Duo looked up teasingly at his normally stoic friend.

"Without, of course." Wufei enjoyed the moment as all color on the face of the Deathscythe pilot drained to a pasty white.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked his voice tight and unsure.

"Of course." Wufei reassured him, chuckling. "Just lift your hair."

It only took a moment for him to study the small, wiry frame. Duo had not an ounce of extra flesh or fat covering his bones. Though not really skinny, he was incredibly slight with sleek muscles. His back, chest, and sides were liberally coated with dark bruises. His hair had covered the damage as he came out of the bathroom, but now, with it lifted, it was very visible.

"No wonder you were quiet." Wufei crouched down to examine his legs. His calves had only a couple of small bruises. "Your thighs and hips? He asked looking up. Duo blushed. "Worse than the lower half." Bending slightly, Duo lifted the lower edge of the towel showing the outside of his right thigh. A solid black and blue bruise covered the front and side from above his knee to the top of his leg. "I hit your pilot's chair as we set down." he explained.

"Anything else?"

Duo moved to opened up the top of the other side of the towel to expose his left hip bone. Not only was it black and blue, but the skin had been scraped off and it was raw and oozing.

"Why didn't you say something?" Wufie looked up angry.

Duo shrugged. "What could we have done while we were running?" he explained reasonably.

"I saw a first aid kit in the kitchen." Wufei said moving quickly out of the room. "Try the bed, it's really quite comfortable." he called out as he left.

He returned a few moments later, pleased to see the other boy had heeded his suggestion. Duo flushed red from embarrassment as he exposed the wounded hip. Noting that, Wufei quickly bandaged the open wound and allowed Duo to tuck the towel back into place. They both sighed when the job was completed.

"Now what?" Duo asked

"Disguises. They have a fairly accurate description of us, so we are going to have to be clever to deceive them."

"I am not cutting my hair!" Duo emphatically informed his friend who was moving to leave the room.

"I already considered that." he called back.

A few minutes later he returned with an armful of clothes which he tossed onto the bed. Duo had busied himself by going through the drawers, and the closet door was open, clearly showing that he had been through it also. "What are you doing?" Wufei asked.

"Just looking." The braided boy replied casually. He then turned and his eyes fell on the pile of clothes on the bed, his eyes widened in horror.

"No way!" He choked out.

"Yes!" Wufei answered equally forceful.

"No. No. No." Duo shook his head adamantly and stomped his right foot to accentuate his words, then winced at the pain the action brought.

"Duo." Wufei took hold of his shoulders to force the boy to look at him. "Listen, the authorities are looking for two teens, boys, an Asian and a Caucasian boy with a long, brown braid dressed in black. I cannot change my nationality, but we can change your appearance from a boy to a girl. They won't be looking for a couple.

"How about two girls?" Duo looked up hopeful that he would not have to be alone in his humiliation.

Wufei shook his head. "Two girls wandering through a city at night alone are too vulnerable."

"Please, Wufei. Don't make me do this." Duo's eyes were sincerely pitiful as he begged.

"I'm sorry Duo. I'm not doing this to be cruel or spiteful. I honestly believe this is the best way to evade capture. Consider it an acting assignment."

The slumping of his shoulders showed Duo's silent acquiesce to his eminent torture.

"Come on, try on the clothes and see if they fit." Wufei urged gently, knowing he was treading on unsteady waters. 

They both tried on the assortment of clothing that the Shenlong pilot had gathered from the different bedrooms. It was settled the Duo would take a floral blouse with sheer long sleeves, a ribbed, long-sleeved purple turtleneck sweater, a bra and necessary under clothes, a navy blue dress, and accessories to complete the outfits, and shoes.

Wufei chose two pairs of pleated pants with a white shirt and a solid dark green tee-shirt. A pair of round, silver rimmed glasses on his nose completed the picture.

Duo stood in front of the mirror in a long sleeve, knee-length navy blue dress. It had simple lines to it and flared out at the hips. The only break in color was a small, white lace collar at the neckline.

"You need to add another sock." Wufei held out two rolled up socks which the other took after unzipping the back of the dress and pulled down the front. He carefully stuffed the bra with them. Wufei did the honors of zipping up the back of the dress and they both looked at the image they created with a critical eye.

"Hum.......Not bad." Duo said, a small smile forming on his mischievous face. He turned around and noted the skirt flared out to expose his slender legs encased in dark blue tights. "If I didn't think of you as such a good friend, I might date ya." he told his reflection, relishing the look of feigned disgust on his friends face in the reflection of the mirror.

"Get over yourself, Maxwell." Wufei sneered, half smiling at Duo's playful manner.

Re-adjusting the socks to a more natural, rounded look, the Deathscythe pilot chanced a look at Wufei and studied him with the same eye to detail. "You look........studious, very serious." He frowned slightly. "Not my type at all really."

Wufei smiled at his reflection. "Ah, but you are a wise girl. You go for brains instead of brawn, knowing in the long run that it will get you farther in life."

"It will?" Duo asked, surprise written on his face. Wufei didn't answer, but continued to look at their reflections. Duo looped his arm through his. "We make an odd, but handsome couple." he mused. "But you need just one thing more." He reached up and pulled off the band that tightly held back the black hair. The straight, shining mass fell instantly in place just below his shoulders. Duo smiled, quite pleased with himself.

Wufie raised an eyebrow in contemplation, and silently agreed. It was more or less a compromise since Duo had to dress like a girl. He then glanced at his watch. It was eleven o'clock. "Alright, we have time to try out some make-up, do your hair, and then see if we can get you to walk and talk like a girl.

TBC


	3. part 3

Disguise the Limit

by: Dyna Dee

Part 3

Warnings: Duo suffering in the guise of being a girl.

At precisely two thirty p.m., they left the house via the back door, erasing all evidence of their stay there. Each boy carried a slightly worn backpack filled with their own and the pilfered clothing and necessities, things taken from the back of the closets so that they wouldn't be discovered missing immediately, plus some jackets and sweaters they deemed necessary. Making sure no one was watching in the neighborhood, Wufei motioned Duo to come out from behind a bush and stand by his side in the driveway.

"It's clear." he whispered.

Duo self-consciously stepped to his side, his cheeks flaming with embarrassment at his state of dress. Together they stepped onto the sidewalk and began to walk casually down the street.

"Remember, keep your toes forward and take smaller steps. Do not swing your arms like that, smaller movements." Wufei instructed Duo as his eyes studied him appreciatively. Though Duo was a very handsome, masculine guy, in drag and makeup with his hair down, he was a stunning girl.

"Stop that!" Duo elbowed him.

"What?"

"Ogling."

"Well, you are my girlfriend." he smiled while uncharacteristically teasing.

Duo rolled his eyes upward, silently asking for help to not kill the only friend he had at the moment.

Wufei looked at the complete picture Duo posed once again. They had pulled part of his hair up into a high ponytail, leaving most of it free, with the exception of ten thin braids from the gathered mass, which they looped them up into the band and tied it with a blue floral ribbon. The finished look was very feminine.

"Wufei!" Duo growled in warning.

"Gomen." Wufei looked forward. "I'm just amazed at the transformation. They will never guess you are a boy in disguise.

"Just don't you forget it." Duo warned with a frown, clearly unhappy.

They caught the bus into the city and found that Oz troops seemed to be everywhere, searching and stopping people randomly. It wasn't long before two soldiers stopped them.

"Where are you going?" one of the uniformed men asked them, his voice harsh.

"To the movies." Wufei answered as he felt Duo tuck his hand into the crook of his arm and pulled himself closer.

"This your girlfriend?" the soldier asked and looking like a hungry wolf at a slab of meat as he gazed at the demure looking girl.

"Yes."

The soldier nearest Duo put a rough finger under his chin to lift it so he could look into his eyes. A small intake of air was his response to the large amethyst eyes that looked innocently up at him. "Beautiful." he whispered and looked to his partner who nodded in agreement. He ran his thumb over the soft lower lip, and Duo pressed his lips together and sharply turned his head away to bury his face into Wufei's shoulder.

"Leave her alone." Wufei said angrily.

The soldier smiled. "She's too young for us anyway." he chuckled and waved them off. "Enjoy the movie." he said dismissing them as they moved aside and walked on.

"This just gets better and better." Duo growled under his breath.

"You did fine and we passed the first inspection. Just remember not to talk, and if forced to, whisper."

"Yeah, yeah." was the caustic reply.

"Toes straight." Wufei reminded him and Duo corrected himself as they walked on.

They were stopped twice more and questioned before they'd had enough and ducked into a busy Pizzeria for a bit of a respite. "Lets get something to eat and then look for shelter." Wufei suggested.

"Good, I'm starving and these shoes are pinching my feet." Duo complained in a small, strained voice.

They ate slowly, enjoying the privacy of a corner booth. Between the both of them, they each ate salad, polished off an extra large combination pizza, and a pitcher of root beer. The girl who had served them put down the check and looked at the two in amazed wonder at the amount of food consumed. With a slight smile exchange, she turned and left them.

"You have sauce on your face." Wufei motioned to the others left cheek. Duo went to wipe it off with his hand. "Wait!" Wufie hissed and handed the other a napkin. "Pat it." he instructed. Duo did as he was told.

"Gone?" he asked smiling.

Wufei nodded looking critically at his face.. "Yes, but you need to reapply your lipstick."

Duo unzipped the small pocket in the front of the backpack and pulled out a small tube and opened it.

"Not here." Wufei hissed in exasperation "in the ladies room."

"No way." Violet eyes widened.

"You can't go into the men's dressed like that. He was trying to be patient, but by Nataku, didn't Maxwell know anything? "A lady doesn't put make up on in public."

"How do you know?" Duo angrily challenged.

"I just do, besides, that root beer has got to be getting to you by now."

Duo lifted his head. "What am I suppose to do? Someone is bound to see I am.....you know..." he gestured to his lower half.

"Restrooms for ladies have stalls with doors that lock. Just sit down and keep covered as much as possible.

Covering his face with his hand, Duo moaned. "This is so humiliating."

"Here," Wufei fished out several coins out of his pocket. "Play some arcade games until it looks empty, then go in."

Grabbing up the coins along with the tube of lipstick, Duo stood up. "Alright." he snapped unhappily and stomped off in the direction of the restrooms. Wufei didn't dare remind him to keep his toes straight. 

Taking the required money from out of his wallet to pay the bill, the Shenlong pilot took several glances in the direction of the arcade/restrooms to check on his companion. Duo was aggressively attacking the buttons on the machine. Wufei never noticed just how much his friend moved while playing arcade games. Indeed, with each push of a button his shoulders and hips moved in that direction. Normally it wouldn't have drawn his attention, but in a dress with his hair falling over the white lace sweater, his movements took on a whole different look. He was disconcerted to notice that a table of older guys close by were also watching with appreciation and were obviously commenting, though Duo played on, completely unaware. "He is going to get us into trouble without even trying." he mumbled under his breath. Putting the payment for their dinner down on the table, Wufei grabbed their backpacks and turned to join his friend. 

To his surprise, Duo was gone. He looked around seeing everyone and everything was in its place and realized he must have finally gotten the nerve, or was desperate enough, to go into the restroom. He needed to use the men's room also, so he waited by the arcade for the other to return. 

A few moments later, Duo came out following a young girl, his lips the same shade of pink as his blushing cheeks. "That was interesting." he whispered aside to the Chinese boy.

"Watch these." Wufei indicated the backpacks on the floor. "I'll be right back, then we'll leave."

With a couple of coins still in his hand, Duo put them in the slot of the game he had just played moments before. With a flick of his hand he pushed his hair back over his shoulder and once again began to play in earnest.

Suddenly, two large hands slapped down on both sides of the game and he felt a large body press up against his back.

"Need a few tips?" a male voice murmured above his head in what he concluded the un-welcomed guy thought to be a seductive voice.

He shook his head in response and tried to push the obviously larger person from off his back with his shoulder. He was grabbed around the waist and pulled closer to the large body behind him.

"Come on, play nice." There now seemed to be a teasing tone to the man's voice.

Duo instinctively folded his arms around his chest. If this guy tried to feel him up, he would discover the socks and his disguise would be blown. In such a defensive position, there was no way he couldn't defend himself.

"Let me go." He whispered as Wufei had instructed. Unfortunately, his tenor voice came out sounding sultry. He felt the guys large hand slide downward along his waist to his posterior and grabbed onto his rounded cheek. Lifting his slightly heeled foot, he shoved it forcefully down onto the top his assailant's foot.

"Wanna play rough, huh?" the voice sneered. He grabbed Duo's hands, and forced them up and clasped them in one beefy hand over his head and flipped him around to face his attacker. His back was now firmly bent back and pressed against the arcade machine, the game continuing to play without him.

'Man this guy is big.' Duo thought as he stared up, dumbfounded, into the large blonde man's face. The thought rushed through his mind that the lug looked big enough to be a construction worker or a college jock.

"You're just too tempting to pass by." the blond giant sneered and lowered his head to kiss the girl he'd pinned firmly between himself and the pinball machine.

Duo winced, the guys breath smelled of garlic and beer. It was rank. His eyes widened in horror as he watched the leering face lower, and realized what was about to happen.

"Let her go." Wufei's voice sounded deadly from the side and Duo felt his knees go weak with relief.

The beefy blond turned his head to look at the smaller Chinese boy. "Are you her little boyfriend?" he chuckled as he scrutinized the smaller, nerdie looking boy in glasses. 

"I prefer brain to dumb brawn." Duo said softly, remembering Wufei's earlier comment in front of the mirror.

"Maybe you just don't know the difference." The oaf sneered.

"Let her go, Bill." a voice of reason sounded behind them from one of the other men who was with the bully. "She's really young." He added, trying to calm down the situation.

"No way. I found her, she's mine." his voice slurred a bit.

"Like hell I am." Duo's voice lowered menacingly. He struggled to push away from the arcade game, trying to find some leverage, but found he was just held too tightly.

"Wu-chan?" he called out, nettled that Wufei not responding more quickly.

He couldn't see the other pilot, but he heard and saw the effects of his training come to his aid as he felled the man like a big-ass tree.

Wufei stood in front of Duo, facing the unconscious man's friends as they stood by the table with an assortment of expressions on their faces: anger, shock, surprise, and guilt as they looked at the person sprawled in front of the two teens. One of the men, a dark haired guy who was as big as the assailant and wearing a look of guilt, spoke first. "Go, we'll keep him here as long as we can."

Wufei picked up their packs, handing Duo his, all the while watching the group before him.

"I'm sorry." The dark hair man said again. "He just had too much to drink."

Wufei nodded and taking Duo by the arm, leading him quickly out the door without turning his back on a possible retaliation.

They had put a few blocks between themselves and the Pizzeria when Wufei checked his watch, it was only seven p.m. It was more than apparent to him that Duo's nerves were on edge and wearing thin, he couldn't take much more. 

Duo frowned deeply. He had been stopped and accosted by Oz soldiers and any number of young men walking on the city streets. The presence of Wufei and his angry scowl seemed to deter them from taking advantage, but the touches and innuendos were making him ill. "Where are we headed?" he asked his companion, his irritation clearly audible in his voice. He continued to hold onto Wufei's arm tightly for protection from any more unwelcome overtures.

Wufei looked around them. "I was looking for a hotel, centrally located and with several exits for alternative escape routes." he answered. "I think this one will do just fine."

The blinking white and red sign advertising the Country Rose Motel, was near the heart of the city, surrounded by two large buildings and a parking garage behind it. It definitely was not in the four or five star category for hotels, but it looked like an establishment that might not be too suspicious or ask too many questions of a 16 year old guest.

Across the street was an ice cream shop. With Duo on his arm, he led him to the bright and busy business. As they approached, his companion's face broke out into a smile that threatened to split his face when he was told to order whatever ice-cream concoction he desired. They located a newly washed table in the back corner of the shop, and Wufei led Duo there and they both sat, the one in the skirt facing away from the front window. Their adventure in disguises had shown that Duo attracted men both young and old, like bees to honey.

"Stay here, Duo. I think it best if I get the room without you, less questions to answer. I'll return as soon as possible." he assured him

Duo looked up giving his best "You better not leave me here like this." look.

"I Promise." Wufei answered the look with a slight smile, and was pleased to see his friend return it and dig happily into his ice cream.

TBC

  
  
  
  



	4. part 4

Disguise the Limit

Part 4

Dyna Dee

As expected, the clerk at the motel was not overly curious and accepted Wufei's explanation of being an out-of-town student whose car broke down and needed a place to stay until it was repaired. He got a room with a double bed and a television. The clerks eyes bulged a bit when he was paid in cash and in advance for four nights.

Taking the key, Wufei looked across the street and saw that Duo was still sitting where he had left him, though he noted that the shop was even busier now with more customers than before.

Going to the room, he did a quick inspection to make sure it was clean and acceptable. Seeing that it was, he put their backpacks on the bed and left to pick up his roommate.

The ice cream shop was now quite full. Wending his way through the crowd, he finally made it to where Duo was sitting and found him contentedly eating a fresh sundae and had another sitting in front of the empty space across from him.

"How'd it go?" he whispered as Wufei sat in the chair opposite his friend.

"Fine, and thanks." Wufei indicated the ice cream before him.

"Your welcome." Duo smiled warmly, his large eyes sparkled happily, and he looked....beautiful. 

'He's a guy, he's a guy, he's a guy.' Wufei repeated to himself as he quickly looked down at his sundae in order to hide the blush he felt rising on his cheeks. His ice cream looked like something Duo would choose, several scoops of vanilla ice cream were topped with a chocolate sauce, whipped cream and large peanut M&Ms. It looked good.

After taking two bites, a commotion sounded at the front of the shop. Wufei looked up and saw two Oz soldiers had entered the crowded room. His eyes met Duo's in warning. Duo turned his head, spoon still in his mouth, to see what was happening.

"Listen up everyone." a loud, commanding voice barked out. "We are currently looking for two terrorists, two teenage boys, an Asian and a Caucasian with a long brown braid, dressed in black. We need to check out everyone here, so just eat your ice cream and be patient."

Duo turned his wide eyes back to Wufei and slowly removed the spoon from his mouth.

Wufei watched as the soldiers moved efficiently and meticulously through the crowded shop, stopping anyone Asian and searching them and their companions.

"You carrying?" Duo asked silently, mouthing the words.

Wufei nodded and indicated the left front of his jacket.

Duo shut his eyes for a moment trying to come up with a fast solution to their problem. They needed to look hold their disguise by looking like a couple and remove the gun from off of Wufei in case they searched him.

Coming to a conclusion, Duo stood from his chair and moved to Wufei and slid down onto his lap, much to the surprise of the other pilot. After readjusting the skirt so that it flared out behind him and over the Shenlong pilot's lap, he reached back and ran his hand through Wufei's straight black hair and leaned over to whisper in his ear of his tense and startled partner. "Just play along." he said in a calm hushed voice. "I'm going to reach for your gun and hand it to you behind your back, then you can run it up the back of my dress and tuck it into the top of my tights."

Wufei paused as the whispered message sunk in. Finally, he nodded, believing the plan to be a sound one. He just hoped he wouldn't drop the gun in the exchange.

Duo ran his right hand through Wufei's silky black hair as his left hand slid over and inside his jacket. Reaching into the inner pocket, he carefully pulled the gun out. Stealing a quick glance down to make sure the safety was on, he then palmed it into his left hand. Pressing his chest forward, his right arm going around Wufei's shoulder, he gave the appearance of giving an affectionate embrace, his left arm wrapped around his friend's back. 

Wufei had his left hand behind him in an awkward angle, waiting for the handoff. They fumbled just slightly before his hand firmly clasped the revolver. Now came the tricky part. Taking a deep breath, he began to fumble blindly as he searched to find the hem of the dress with his gun-filled hand in order to get under it. Once that was accomplished, his hand then snaked up to Duo's waist and the elastic band at the top of the navy tights. It was a lot easier said then done as he struggled to get the tight elastic waistband pulled out and the gun inside it. Several times Duo jumped as the elastic accidently slipped and snapped sharply against his skin.

"You better not be doing that on purpose." He growled. "Hurry up, will ya?"

Finally grabbing hold of the top, he managed to edge the gun into it and slowly slid it into place.

"I don't know what's colder, your hand or the gun." Duo whispered in complaint and shifted himself. "You better move it over towards the front left side, they'll see it protruding from the back." he suggested.

Wufei removed his hand from under the skirt and placed his hand on the hidden gun and tried to maneuver it over Duo's left hip. The long haired boy lowered his head onto Wufei's shoulder and moaned.

"You better not be getting turned on by this." The Chinese boy hissed.

Duo shook his head and whispered tersely. "That's my sore hip."

"Oh, sorry." Wufei felt himself blush and remembered the raw wound.

Duo brought his hand down over the lumpy area where the gun was hidden under the dress, and tried to adjust it as he turned towards his companion. "How close?" he whispered as he looked into his friend's face, inches away from his own.

Wufei looked up to see the pain in the violet eyes, but leaned to the side looking past them to observe the advancing soldiers. "Six feet." 

Duo nodded. "Show time." he whispered. Shaking off his discomfort, he reached back to the sundae he purchased for Wufei and picked up a large yellow M&M from off the top. He looked back into Wufei eyes, a sparkle of mischief in his own. "When they get close, I want you to take this from me....with your teeth.

Wufei's eyes widened.

"It's not kissing, it's just a game." he quickly insisted. "But it will look like it."

He put the candy firmly between his front teeth and smiled, though it did not reach his eyes, instead, they were tinted with slight apprehension. He placed his right arm over Wufei's shoulder and his left arm over the gun, resting over his bandaged wound.

"Okay." Wufei said and moved his mouth close to the other boys. Turning his head he reached for the candy held firmly clenched between Duo's teeth and clamped his teeth down on the part sticking out, trying for the life of him not to touch anything but the candy. Duo's teeth held the candy like a vice, determined not to let go. Wufei grabbed the back of his head to tilt it for better leverage. To his consternation, it sounded like Duo giggled. Despite the tense situation they found themselves in, Wufei felt a smile growing on his own face from the ridiculousness of what they were doing.

"Alright, break it up." a lazy sounding voice came from above them. Duo bit down on the piece of candy and let go of the half Wufei had his teeth on. They both smiled broadly at each other as they sucked in and chewed their respective halves. The smiles lingered on their lips and in their eyes as they looked up into the soldiers amused face. With a start, Wufei realized that this was most likely Duo's plan all along. They looked like a couple enjoying themselves, not boy terrorists in disguise and on the run.

"Stand up kid." he motioned to Wufei.

Easing Duo up off his lap, he then stood himself. The Deathscythe pilot clasped his arm and maneuvered himself to hide the left side of his body behind his "boyfriend's" side.

The second soldier walked up behind the other. "What do we have here?" he asked eyeing the Chinese boy to see if he fit the MO.

"Just a couple of kids making out." the first soldier answered.

"Search him and lets move on." the newer soldier, who was obviously in charge, told the other.

Duo stood back, putting the chair they had risen from in front of his left hip. He had never been more grateful for a lacy white sweater in all his life as the one he wore helped to hide the gun. Wufei lifted his arms while the soldier patted him down. "Nothing." He murmured then turned to look at the two. "You kids better head home, curfew is in one hour." His eye seemed to linger on the girl with the violet eyes.

"Yes sir." Wufei answered putting an arm around Duo's shoulder.

As the soldier turned to his partner, the two teens could hear their conversation as they moved away. "Lucky guy, what a looker."

Wufei felt Duo go limp with relief. He led him to the chair where he sat down in front of his now nearly melted sundae. Duo dropped his head into his hands. "I can't take this anymore Wu....I need this day to end."

"Alright." Wufei felt some sympathy for his friend. "Let's just give them a few minutes to move down the street."

******

Fifteen minutes later, the two weary boys entered the hotel room. Duo disappeared into the bathroom, and reappeared later with his face scrubbed clean of make up, hair re-braided into his normal braid, and clad in his boxers and t-shirt.

"Man, this feels like heaven, I'm a guy again!" He said with a yawn. Making his way to the bed he paused. Instead of his usual flying leap onto the bed, he pulled back the covers and gingerly climbed under them. With a sigh he threw his arm over his eyes and lay quietly.

Wufei had been listening to the local news report of Oz troops looking for terrorists in the city and asking for the public's help and patience during the lock down. He stood, stretched, and took his turn in the bathroom. After emerging, ready for the night, he found that Duo was sprawled over three quarters of the bed and lightly snoring. In hindsight, it was a harbinger of the night to come. 

The Chinese pilot woke, again, and was glad to note the miserable night was mercifully coming to an end and the morning had finally arrived. He unhappily found himself on his side and at the very edge of the bed. Duo's body was pressed up against his back, his arm slung over the Chinese boy's arm, and hanging across his chest. Sliding his legs from off the side of the bed, he stood and turned to see Duo roll onto his stomach, taking up the space he had just vacated. "Unbelievable." he muttered in dull astonishment at the other boy. The alarm clock read six forty-eight a.m., and he turned towards the bathroom, resigned to the fact that he would not be getting any more sleep, not that he'd had much that night anyway. He emerged twenty minutes later, showered and dressed for the day. He found Duo awake and looking in the dresser drawers. He stopped to watch him, putting his hands on his hips. "Why do you do that?" he asked in an irritated tone.

Duo looked up with a puzzled look on his face. "What?"

"Whenever we go into a new place, you check out the cupboards, closets, and drawers. You did it yesterday in that house and you're doing it again today. Why?"

Duo closed the dresser drawer and moved to the bed and sat down. "I just like to see what's there." he answered simply as he studied the floral pattern on the bedspread, his slim finger tracing a vine. "Just now, I did it out of curiosity to see if someone left something behind, maybe it's just a habit." he shrugged. "But yesterday, in that home, I just wanted to see what it was like to be a family. You can tell a lot about a person by their closets and drawers." He looked up from under his messy bangs at Wufei to see how he was receiving what he was trying to express.

Wufei's expression looked dubious.

"I can't remember if I ever had a family." Duo went on to explain. "At the orphanage, I had three sets of clothing and one pair of shoes. They fit in a box that was kept under my bed. That box constituted my only personal space." He lay back on the bed and looked away from Wufei's face to stare at the water spot on the ceiling. "I always wondered what a family would put into all their spaces." He smiled dreamily as he reflected back to what he had seen the day before. "Yesterday, in that house, I saw a bunch of games, puzzles, clean clothes and linens scented with fabric softener and folded with care, tools and hardware neatly stored, photo albums, boxes with cards saved from loved ones, and children's papers from school." He turned to look at his friend whose expression was now thoughtful. "I saw caring and love in those closets and drawers."

He took a deep breath and sighed. His voice sounding wistful as he continued. "I hope that maybe one day I'll have a place to call home, with closets and drawers filled just like that home."

Wufei stood looking down at his braided friend. All the anger he felt towards him when he woke up had dissipated completely. His heart now constricted with compassion for the lonely life Duo had lived, for all the things he'd never had, and for those that he had lost. He knew the other pilot did not want his pity, so he steeled himself against showing what he was feeling. Instead, he sat on the bed and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "That's a nice thought, Duo. I, too, hope that--for all of us."

Duo looked up at him, his smile growing.

A few moments passed before Duo's stomach growled. "So, what's for breakfast, Wu-man?"

That day passed slowly and they left the room only to buy necessities and food, which they brought back to the room to eat.

"Urrrrrr!" Wufei growled and sitting up, turned on the light. It was two forty-one a.m., and in his frustration, he turned and roughly shook his bed mate awake.

"What?" Duo complained as he rubbed his eyes and squinted against the bright light.

"Look!" Wufei growled and indicated his position on the bed, the very edge of it, with Duo sprawled out at an angle, effectively taking up the rest of the space.

"Oh, sorry." Duo looked sheepish and moved over to the side of the bed he'd fallen asleep on.

"You are a nightmare to sleep with, Maxwell!" The black hair was loose and in disarray as Wufei continued on with what looked like a new rant. "You move constantly and press up against me, arms and legs all over my person, and hog the covers, in fact, you hog the whole damn bed!." Wufei complained, his voice incredulous.

"I don't do it on purpose." Duo mumbled as he rolled over facing away from his angry roommate and pulled the covers up around his shoulders.

"How does Hero deal with it when you guys have to share a bed?" Exasperation had now crept into his tone.

"He figured out a way to keep me in one place." Duo said in a whisper.

Wufei's eyebrows raised. "He ties you up?" he guessed.

"No!" Now it was Duo's turn to be exasperated. He lifted his head and fluffed his pillow with his fist, and then plopped his head back onto it.

"Well?" Wufei asked.

"Well what?" 

"Are you going to tell me what he does to keep you still?"

There was a long pause, and then after a deep sigh Duo answered quietly. "He holds me."

"Huh?'

"Like you did in the playhouse."

The light abruptly went out and Wufei climbed back into bed. The two lay in silence for several minutes.

"Do you want me to sleep on the floor?" Duo asked quietly.

There was a long pause. "No, you'd probably get hurt rolling into all the furniture."

More silence.

"Would you mind?" Wufei asked tentatively.

"What?"

"If I try Heero's trick?"

Duo sighed yet again. "Fine." his voice sounded resigned.

When he didn't move, Wufei took it on his own initiative to turn on his side and grabbing hold of the slender frame, pulled him back and into his arms until Duo's back was only and inch from his chest. He wrapped his arms around Duo securing him in place in front of him. "Like this?" He asked for conformation that he was doing this right. He felt the boy in front of him nod his head in reply.

They both lay stiffly for a while, feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable, unused to the feel of the other's body so close to their own. Slowly, Duo's body relaxed as he succumbed to sleep. Shortly after, seemingly of it's own volition, his body pressed back against Wufei's chest, unconsciously seeking the heat and comfort from the other boy.

Wufei held his breath. 'Well, this is certainly.....different.' he thought to himself. 'Strange, but not unpleasant.'

Duo's head was now cradled on his biceps. He leaned his head against the soft brown hair, smelling the floral scent of the shampoo he had taken from the house the day before. 'Smells good.' he thought as his mind began to drift towards slumber.

TBC


	5. part 5

Disguise the Limit

By: Dyna Dee

Warnings:

Part 5

Easing out of his deep, restful sleep, the pilot of Shenlong pulled the mass of warmth in front of him closer, he could smell flowers.

"Not so tight Wu." a voice complained and woke him from his deep rest.

"Sorry." he murmured and, as his memory returned, quickly released the other pilot as if he was a hot cylinder. He opened his eyes to see the top of Duo's head. Just over it was the clock brightly displaying that it was after eight o'clock.

"Heero is a genius." Wufei stated, pleased at the number of hours of uninterrupted sleep he'd gotten.

"Yeah, a fricken genius." Duo muttered as he rolled up and out of the bed.

Wufei looked up confused at the negative tone in Duo's voice, and pushing back his long hair from around his face, he watched as Duo stretched. "Didn't you sleep well?" He was curious at his friend's current attitude.

"I slept fine." His answer was brusque.

"Then why are you upset? And don't say you aren't." he quickly added, seeing Duo was just about to do that very thing. He watched as the American's arms stretched downward and became rigid, his fists clenched tightly and his lips pressed firmly together in anger.

"Duo?" the Chinese boy called out softly. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

The American seemed to relax his shoulders a bit and he bowed his head, shaking it slightly. "It's not your fault." Duo said quietly. "I just feel" he turned and seemed frustrated in how to express himself. "...confined, controlled. Maybe it's just triggered by having experienced what its like to be a female being pursued, ogled, and lusted after. Between that experience, being told what to do by the "Powers that Be", being ordered around by Heero, and now you, it's like....." He was breathing heavily now. "I have no say in my actions any more, no freedom. I even have to be restricted in my sleep!"

"Duo," Wufei began, but was instantly interrupted by his friend.

"Ah, forget it...." He said in disgust and waved his hand in dismissal. "Heero would say I'm being overly sensitive again. I'll just chalk this up to another lesson learned." He reached behind his back and freed his braid. "But I'll tell you one thing I've learned from this whole situation." he said as he turned towards the bathroom. "I'm going to treat girls and women differently than I have in the past." He disappeared through the door and the sound of the shower being turned on was heard.

Wufei leaned back, putting his head on his pillow and stared at the ceiling as he thoughtfully pondered the words his traveling companion had just spoken.

A half hour later when Duo came out from the bathroom, a cloud of steam trailed behind him. He was draped with a towel around his waist, his towel dried hair fell in damp tendrils about him, and he had his hairbrush in hand. He moved to sit on the bed and covered his legs with the blankets, and pulling a section of wet hair forward, began brushing out the moisture laden snarls.

"Duo," Wufei's voice sounded tentative. "I didn't ....I don't want you to think I'm trying to control you. Heero only gave me the lead because I had a plan and he trusts me to take care of you. I didn't have you dress like a girl to make you feel weak, but to help us evade capture. As for holding you in your sleep, well...."

Duo looked over to his friend's serious face, wearing a wary look on his own.

"You are horrible to sleep with." Wufei said with a measure of exasperation in his voice. "Last night is the best night's sleep I've had since we left the safehouse. But, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, we can take turns sleeping on the floor."

Duo smiled. Not his broad manic smile, but a small, relieved smile. "Thanks Wu, I'll let you know."

He grabbed the remote and clicked it on to watch a morning news show while he brushed his hair.

They spent the day much like the day before. Yet as the parking lot behind the hotel began to empty out that evening, the city workers returning to their homes, the two headed out of their room for dinner. The phone book listed a nearby Chinese restaurant that had a five star rating. As they studied the menu, Duo could see that Wufei was quite pleased at the selections offered, and with his permission to choose the food, The Chinese pilot turned to their waiter and ordered the meal in his native language. The waiter seemed pleased with this, and the two carried on in what seemed a lively conversation in their native language.

Not understanding a lot of Chinese, Duo turned his attention to his surroundings, and studied the decor of the room as the two chatted. It was tastefully decorated in black and white. Black modern tables and chairs took nothing away from a large painted dragon mural in the same colors with red and gold flecks on the scales. From the ceiling hung white lanterns with back wood trim.

Wufei nodded to the waiter as their conversation ended, and he looked across the table to the other pilot. Duo was dressed in the floral blouse and his own jeans and he wore his hair in a style similar to Relena's, a ribbon tied at the end of the single small braid dangling down the back. With his large, unusual colored eyes, wide in examination and appreciation of the decor, Wufei had to, once again, remind himself that this wasn't a girl in front of him, but his friend. His very male friend. 'Damn, he looks good.' he thought to himself in disbelief.

Duo's violet eyes turned to look at him with curiosity. "What? Too much blush?" he asked in reply to Wufei's stare.

Wufei squinted his eyes as if studying his face instead of ogling. "No, in fact, for this lighting, you might need more."

"I didn't bring it with me." the American frowned.

"You're fine." Wufei sat back with a smile, dismissing the others concern and glad he wasn't accused of ogling again.

They sat in comfortable silence surveying the restaurant and its patrons.

The meal came in stages, and Wufei described each dish to Duo. He looked at the large, whole, deep-fried fish with the crusty shell dubiously as it was placed on the table. The Chinese pilot cut the unusual fare open and placed a good sized piece on Duo's plate.

Coaxed into trying it, he took a small piece on his fork and hesitantly put it in his mouth. He didn't exactly hate fish, but it wasn't something he went out of his way for. His eyes opened wide in appreciation and a smile. "Ummm, it's good!" he declared quietly, much to Wufei's delight.

They were both unbelievably full when they left the restaurant two hours later.

"Thanks, Wu-man, that was great and I'm in an incredible amount of pain." Duo moaned.

"You must learn to know your limits, my friend." he answered feeling quite full himself.

Duo rubbed his stomach gently. "I know that last bite was my limit. No ice cream for me tonight."

There were quite a few people on the sidewalks that night, so they didn't pay any particular attention to the footsteps behind them until they were both grabbed from behind.

"What?" Duo gasped looking frantically at the arms encircling his chest, trapping his arms at his side. He immediately began to struggle and noticed Wufei was in the same type of body lock.

"Look who we have here." a semi-familiar voice mocked behind his ear. "The feisty little couple from the pizza joint."

Duo's body stiffened, and with eyes filled with apprehension he turned his head to look at Wufei.

"Let her go!" Wufei ordered, his voice as cold and lethal as a steel blade.

"I'm not going to hurt her." the man behind Duo said. "She's so pretty, I just want a taste of what I was denied the other night." The man shifted his arms to take a different hold on the squirming body trapped against him, his large and powerful left arm wrapped tightly around the slender body's waist, pinning both arms and securing the beauty's back against his chest. The man's freed right arm then moved up, and his hand firmly gripped the long silky hair near the nape of his prisoner's slender neck.

Duo winced as his hair was ruthlessly grabbed and pulled downward, and his face was forced up and sideways. He glimpsed the face of the guy from the other night just an instant before his lips were crushed under his attackers, forcing his lips open. The other's mouth tasted of beer and garlic. Maybe it was the taste, or the smell, or the fact that a guy was kissing him, or that his stomach was being tightly squeezed while obscenely full, or maybe it was a combination of all the above that caused the bile and the just eaten meal to rise from his stomach. He almost choked as he violently threw up into his attacker's mouth. Instantaneously, he was angrily tossed aside and off of the sidewalk and into the street as the larger man reacted to the situation. Stumbling to maintain his balance and somehow managing to stay on his feet after being flung, Duo bent in half and brushed his hair aside as his stomach continued to heave as he threw up the remainder of his meal into the gutter.

After wiping the vomit from off his face with the back of his hand, the now livid attacker venomously glared at the girl standing in the street still heaving. Taking the few steps forward, he drew back his arm and swung with all his might, hitting the unaware girl on the side of her head, knocking her down to the ground, her head hitting the curb with a dull thud, and she lay still.

Wufei broke free of his hold as the man who held him reacted to the scene playing out before them. "Are you out of your mind, Bill? Leave her alone." the man behind him said in shock. Wufei went for the idiot, Bill. One hit or kick might have taught him a lesson, but the Shenlong pilot was livid.

"Never," he kicked the surprised man in the stomach, "hit" then roundhouse kicked his bent head on the left side, "a" a slam of his fist upward to keep him from falling and brought the now suffering man upward. "woman." he gave a final kick to the face, breaking the offenders nose and knocking out a few teeth. The man fell heavily to the sidewalk and ceased to move. The avenging Wufei turned in an attack position to the fallen man's companion. That man quickly put his hands up.

"I'm sorry." The other man trembled as he apologized quickly, his hands up in a surrendering pose, and turning, ran into the darkness, abandoning his unconscious and wounded companion.

Seeing no one else posing a threat, Wufei went quickly to Duo's side. He lay sprawled in the gutter, unconscious, his hair was spread out in a mess of tangles, covering him from the top of his head to his hips. Cars stopped and pedestrians began cautiously approaching them. Wufei picked his friend up carefully and ran down the street, leaving a group of concerned witnesses behind who then turned their attention to the prone man bleeding on the sidewalk.

Staying to the darkest shadows and hiding behind cars and other objects, Wufei managed to hide them from the view of anyone who might be able to report to the authorities of a boy carrying what appeared to be an unconscious girl. Going along the outside edge of the parking garage, he approached their room from the back of the hotel by edging around the perimeter. After fumbling for the key, he entered and gently lay the injured boy on the bed.

Getting a damp wash cloth from the bathroom, he wiped off Duo's face and any traces of blood and vomit from off his clothes and hair. He was a mess, even after his attempts to clean him up. He felt the growing knot on the right side of Duo's head where he had hit the curb. He left his companion's side for only a few moments to get the ice bucket filled, then put the large ice pieces into a hand towel and placed it gently against the swell.

Duo moaned, and after a moment, raised a trembling hand up to his head, his eyes squinted open to see the worried onyx eyes above him.

"Was I hit by a car?" his voice was scratchy and weak.

"No."

"Truck?"

"No."

"A big, ugly behemoth that smelled terrible and had to be the world's worst kisser?"

Wufei nodded and tried very hard not to smile at Duo's apt description. To his surprise, Duo's mouth curved up into a small smile.

"Now what's funny?" he asked, confused by Duo's ever changing moods.

"Well,.....that was certainly a ....unique defensive move, huh?" The smile lingered, but the pained eyes closed.

"Defensive?"

"Yeah, emptying my engorged stomach into his mouth."

Despite the seriousness of their situation, Wufei returned the smile. "Unique is right. Never would have thought of that myself."

"Ah, stick with me Wu. I've got lots of tricks that aren't taught in a dojo." Duo's voice started to fade as he began to slip back into sleep. "Serves the bastard right for trying to kiss Shinigami. Yuck." he mumbled under his breath as he brought his hand up to wipe at his mouth with the heel of his hand, acting as if the action could wipe away the memory of what had happened.

"How about a shower?" Wufei asked, thinking he should keep his injured friend awake a little longer to evaluate his condition. Duo also smelled of vomit laced with the spices they had eaten that evening. Not a pleasant smell, and not one that the Chinese boy planned on sleeping next to that night.

"Bath.....bubbles." came the sleepy reply.

Wufei's eyes rolled to the ceiling realizing this was going to be a very long night.

The next morning found them both irritably cranky; Duo, for a horrendous headache and being awakened every hour, and Wufei for being up all night to do the waking. Having determined the other had a concussion, he woke him hourly. In silence, they both consumed the muffins, doughnuts, juice and milk Wufei had purchased that morning, and decided to go back to sleep. They both settled down on their respective sides of the bed.

"You better hold me if you plan on getting any sleep." Duo warned as he yawned.

Wufei promptly gathered the braided boy into his arms and both fell instantly to sleep.

They stayed within the room for the next two days. Duo slept a lot, recuperating from the concussion and the headache caused by the blows to his head. Wufei went out during the peek hours of pedestrian traffic to better blend with the city's crowds. He purchased magazines, puzzles, food and snacks to keep the both of them occupied. Daytime television was proving to be less than satisfactory in keeping them entertained.

On the morning of the third day after the incident, Wufei noted that Duo's facial color had returned to a more normal shade, and he didn't immediately ask for pain pills upon waking. Things were looking up. When he returned with breakfast, he also came back with good news.

"I think there are less soldiers in the city?" he reported to the boy still in bed. "I wasn't stopped even once this morning."

"Do you think it's safe to blow this place yet?" Duo asked as he brushed his hair.

"Maybe." Wufei again studied his companion. "How's your head?"

"Better."

"Hip?"

"Pretty good."

Wufei took a deep breath. "If you're up to it, we should check out the highway to see if the roadblock has been removed. With luck, we might be able to steal a vehicle and drive out of here.

"Why don't we go out the way we came in?" Duo asked, flipping the now tangle-free, long hair behind his shoulder.

"I don't think you're up to a long trek on foot yet, and I would imagine they'd expect us to go out that way. I think, to be safe, we need to get out by going right under their noses."

Duo leaned back against the raised pillows. "If we drive out of here on the highway, we'll be asked to show I.D.'s." 

Wufei sat on the edge of the bed and handed the white bags full of fast food breakfast items to his friend. "We could make those, but it will take time."

"How about a bus, a bicycle, or walking out?" Duo smiled. "Hell, lets steal a little red wagon and I'll pull you out of here."

"I can just picture that, you pulling me past the check point wearing your little dress." Wufei snickered. "You seem a little anxious, Duo. Maybe even desperate to suggest stealing a child's toy as a means of escape."

Duo's smile faltered only slightly, turning into a sneer. "Shinigami was not meant for a life of leisure. I need to get back to a little riot and ruin."

Wufei smiled and shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"What?" Duo laughed.

"That doesn't sound very lady like."

He ducked as Duo hurled a pillow at him.

The next day was Saturday, and despite it being Duo's favorite television morning, the two left the hotel room early to seek their breakfast and then caught a bus to the city's outskirts near the main highway.

From a distance and with binoculars in hand, they observed that the OZ check points were still in place. 

"That leaves the bus or little red wagon." Wufei said straight faced as he handed the binoculars to Duo.

"I'd love to get a picture of you in the wagon." Duo chuckled

"And I of you in that dress." Wufei replied.

"Har, har, very funny." Duo grimaced, then turned with a serious glint in his eyes. "Listen Wu-man, we need to come to an understanding."

Wufei knew what was coming, and folded his arms over his chest to wait for his friend to make his request.

"I've pretty much followed your lead here, as ordered." he began. As he spoke, Wufei appreciated again, how nice he looked in the navy blue dress with his hair only partially pulled back into a pony tail. "I don't want you to tell the others about this. Got it?" He gave the Chinese boy a look that brooked no difference of opinion.

"I don't know...." Wufei raised an eyebrow. "I'll have to make out a report of our time here."

"Fine, just leave out the part about the disguise." 

"But it was the perfect disguise to conceal our presence here, it should be noted for future....." He countered but was loudly interrupted.

"I. DON'T. CARE." Duo shouted as his hands fisted on his hips. Wufei was sure that he had just stomped his foot, a good sign that Maxwell was working up to one of his famous temper tantrums. "The last time you guys saw me in female clothes, you wouldn't let me forget it. Man, you teased me for a whole month."

He didn't dare smile because he knew Duo would pounce on him, and the appearance of a what looked like a girl attacking a boy on a city street would draw too much attention. But the memory Duo had just invoked caused his eyes to light up with amusement as he remembered Heero leading Duo into the safehouse. Trowa, having received a cryptic message from Heero, had helped bring he and Quatre, who were both injured, out into the living room at the hint of a possible surprise. The three sat in the dark as instructed, and waited until the door opened and the light went on. He remembered well the shock on everyone's face, except Hero, at the sight of a girl being brought into the safehouse, then came the realization that it was Duo. He had resorted to putting on clothes he found in the trunk of they car they heisted from the "school from hell", as they referred to it now. He also recalled the pain he felt from his laughter at Duo's expense. His mouth twitched at the memory even now.

"Stop it!" Duo growled. "You're thinking about that night, aren't you?"

Wufei tried, but couldn't quite force his facial features downward. 

Duo stood with a look of disgust on his face, his fists still planted on his thin hips. Then a look of "I gotcha" came into his eyes.

Now it was Wufei's countenance that changed, from merry to wary. "What now?" he asked.

"You know," Duo drawled in confidence. "I have to write a report also.

Wufei waited, not showing the nervousness he suddenly felt. When Duo felt he had the upper hand, he usually did..

"I'd hate to mention that not only did you grope and ogle me, but you kissed me in public and held me in your arms every night." The look of smug satisfaction resided on the heart shaped face.

Wufei decided he hated that look. His eyes narrowed at the threat. "You wouldn't? You know very well that isn't what happened. You would be lying, and I thought you never lied."

"I wouldn't exactly be lying." Duo batted his eyes looking quite innocent. "It's close enough to the truth to pass for it."

"Did you just bat your eyes at me?" Wufei glared accusingly.

"No way."

"Yes, you did."

"Whatever." Duo shrugged.

They glared at each other for a few moments.

"Are we having our first fight?" Duo asked in his breathy girly tone and batted his eyelashes again, a smile tugging at his lips.

Despite his best efforts at staying angry, the Shenlong pilot's smile returned.

"Alright, a truce." he declared. "I won't mention the clothing unless I'm specifically asked, and you, in return, won't warp the truth to make us the laughing stock of the team."

Duo held out his hand, still smiling at what he viewed as a rare victory over the other boy. "Agreed."

They shook hands firmly, Wufei returning the smile with good humor.

They returned to the hotel room and contacted Heero on the way. Having checked the bus schedules, they arranged for a pick up in a small town two hours away from their present location. Wufei insisted that Duo wear the dress until after the check point to ensure their escape.

They didn't encounter any problems at the bus terminal, and just after leaving the city, the bus was stopped in a traffic back-up as each vehicle was halted and questioned by the military. The two boys sat together, their backpacks stowed between their feet. As the bus inched closer to the check point, their talking ceased.

The doors of the bus finally opened and three Oz soldiers entered, towering over the seated passengers.

"We can do this." Wufei whispered encouragingly aside to his companion. He turned to give the other a reassuring glance and found Duo bent over, fumbling with his backpack.

Sitting up, he flashed a bright smile and held up a yellow bag of peanut M&M's.

Two hours later, they descended the steps of the bus, backpacks slung over their shoulders. They walked through and out of the bus terminal. Heero stepped out of the shadows making himself known to them. They greeted each other and Heero looked both boys up and down. "You don't look any worse for wear." he commented.

"We're fine." Duo smiled, happy to be out of the situation they had just left behind. After the bus passed through the check point, he had gone to the small and really inadequate bathroom and with no small difficulty, changed into this own clothes and re-braided his hair. He felt soooo good being himself again.

The twitch of a smile on Heero's face, however, worried him. "What?" he asked warily.

"Disguised yourself as a girl, huh?"

Wufei's smile grew and after Duo managed to close his mouth and compressing his lips tightly, he turned to glare at the Chinese boy. "You told," he accused him angrily. "All bets are off." he declared.

"No, wait! I didn't." Wufei said alarmed and rushed to make a point of it. "How could I? Heero just guessed on his own." Duo didn't looked convinced so Wufei continued. "I shook your hand. It would not be honorable for me to break my word." he said lastly, speaking faster than he normally would.

Duo studied him, eyes narrowed with anger and suspicion, but Wufei's words made sense. He was a person you could count on to keep his word. Honor meant everything to the Chinese boy.

"Alright." He caved in, much to Wufei's obvious relief, and turned to Heero who was still looking at him, quite amused. "How did you guess?" 

Heero raised an amused eyebrow. "Unless you're trying out a new trend, I'd have to say the makeup gave it away."

Duo's eyes and mouth opened wide and he turned back to his partner for the past few days. "Why didn't you say anything?" he shouted.

"I guess I just got use to it." was Wufei's reply just before Duo launched himself at him, disbelieving the simple explanation.

Heero watched the scuffle for a few minutes before grabbing the back of Duo's shirt and pulled him off of Wufei who was completely unhurt and smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

"You're drawing attention to us." Heero reprimanded Duo still holding him at arm's length with a slight smile on his lips. "Besides, now your mascara is running." He ducked as Duo began swinging his fists in his direction. He dodged them easily and began to plot how he could get a hold of Wufei's report, which by Duo's current reactions, should prove to be very entertaining.

  
  


End 


End file.
